1858: Hard trotting in Beetsterzwaag
Hard trotting is an equestrian sport in which a course is run at speed by a sulky (chais) with a horse, but races "under the man" also occurred. Around 1871, hard trotting was one of the three great national entertainments in Holland and Friesland, alongside skating and sailing.
Origin
The origin of hard trotting was with the horse fairs. Some animal fairs were very famous, attended by thousands from all walks of life, not only merchants, but also princes and nobles. Most did not come there to buy horses, but to watch the entertainments. At such horse fairs, buyers competed with each other to demonstrate who had the best horse. Prizes offered by town and village governments encouraged this. This in turn boosted the popularity of horse markets. Usually a silver roskam was given to the one who brought the most horses and a pair of silver spurs to the one with the most beautiful horse. A silver whip was the trotter's prize.
People's Entertainment
Once hard trotting became developed into a popular entertainment, it was not limited to just horse fairs, but all celebrations were graced with it, such as local commemorative festivals and carnivals. In the course of time, the whips were replaced by other prizes such as coffee pots, teapots and all sorts of other fancy things that had nothing to do with horseracing and horses.
Hard Trotting 1858
The hard trotting held in 1858 was on the occasion of the agricultural exhibition of the "9th Division of the Society of Agriculture. Two hard-trotting races were organized on June 30. In the race on the morning, 10 a.m., horses owned by the members of the Friesche Maatschappij van Landbouw, who had not yet won anything, were allowed to compete. They could win a gold watch. The second competition was held at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Here all horses were allowed to compete. The registration and judging of the horses took place at Mr. Sytsema, innkeeper at Boschlust. In the following decades hard trotting races were still held regularly. Every year a traditional hard trotting was organized on fair Saturday, the end of the fair week. Hotel De Klok, which today houses the Chinese restaurant, also served as a registration point. From the 1950s in the twentieth century the interest in the hard trotting in Beetsterzwaag declined somewhat.
